Freeholder director gives state of Cumberland County address

Staff Photo by Greg AdomaitisFreeholder Director Carl Kirstein gives his State of the County address Wednesday at Cumberland County College.

VINELAND — The state of Cumberland County, and its future for that matter, is coming into view.

Freeholder Director Carl Kirstein presented the State of the County address Wednesday evening at Cumberland County College and hit on a number of completed initiatives but ones to come, as well.

“We are here because we care about where we live, where we work and where we raise our families,” Kirstein said before diving into the speech.

Some of the problems the current county government faces stem from policies implemented years, if not decades, ago and the freeholder board is looking years ahead into the future.

Cumberland County government is staring down a possible $7.9 million deficit. If $5.5 million of the roughly $8 million surplus is used to plug the hole — as suggested at a recent freeholder board meeting — a $2.4 million shortfall remains.

Solving that will require the requested formation of bi-partisan transition teams and committees to examine what can be done in regards to cutting costs and consolidation.At the end of his address, after touching on more than a dozen points, Kirstein said the goal is to start reducing the tax levy. At a meeting earlier this month, freeholders expressed interest in holding level the $82.9 million tax levy for the coming 2012 budget.

“We can no longer continue doing business as its been done for the past 30 years,” Kirstein said, citing unrealistic union contracts along with other million dollar expenses.

Before any reductions to the tax levy, though, Kirstein would note the need to address collective bargaining contracts, the future of the county library, the courthouse and prosecutor’s office, possibly appealing the Bigley act that requires salary increases, the board of social services building and overtime issues at the jail and sheriff’s department.

The director of the freeholder board didn’t dance around the recent sale of the Cumberland Manor. The topic was among the first few points Kirstein made Wednesday, calling the sale “the right thing to do for all 156,000 taxpayers in this county.”

Further, he called it “an incremental first step in achieving significant cost savings” and that the $14 million dollar sale of the manor will be a “much-needed infusion in our surplus.”

From here, Kirstein said county government is working toward creating consistency within collective bargaining contracts — the idea being it would assist in long-term planning for sustainability.

Supporters of the Cumberland County Library stood out front of the county college’s conference room with signs that backed the institution. Kirstein would also bring up the topic, stating “It’s really important for people to understand that it is not our primary goal to close the county library.”

Instead, shared services or a merger with another public library were noted as a possibility. Such a collaboration would save hundreds of thousands of dollars, Kirstein said, and a regional library could still serve residents.

The fact that the county must maintain so many buildings also revealed room for improvement.

A 12-year-old leak at the county courthouse must be addressed. As should the ongoing work at the new prosecutor’s office, which will bring most of the divisions under one roof.

“We should relocate the Board of Social Services into a facility that will eliminate the $1 million annual rent payment,” Kirstein said, which the county has been paying for the past 10 years.

Focusing on another county-level venture, the Cumberland Area Transit System (CATS) could hold a revenue stream and “dialogue with the Medicare and Medicaid programs may be an excellent place to begin,” Kirstein said.

Six county department heads, whose positions had been targeted by the freeholder board’s Republican leadership last month, received Rice notices pertaining to personnel matters prior to Tuesday’s work session meeting. The positions of public safety director, public works director, department of aging director, mental health division director, CATS director and 911 emergency division head were named as jobs to be put out for bid.

A balance between appointments within departments, boards and authorities is desired, according to the address. To that end, changes have been made to the county utilities authority, improvement authority, recreation commission and the college’s board of trustees.

“Overtime issues at the jail and sheriff’s department continue to be a problem that must be addressed,” Kirstein said. Budgeting for an efficiency study at the jail was suggested at a freeholder meeting earlier this month, citing $2.7 million in recent overtime costs.

“I believe we are moving in the right direction,” Kirstein said in closing. “It’s a daunting task and I think we’re up to it.”

Immediately after the address, some local residents expressed disappointment in the brevity of Wednesday’s speech and lack of hard facts.

Kirstein would tell The News that his goal was to “inform the public of the direction we’re headed and the problems we are facing.”

County Democratic Committee co-chair Bob Balicki is also warden at the county jail. After the address, he said there is a “simple solution” to the overtime problem Kirstein brought up: Hiring more guards means paying less in overtime

However, he’s had a hard time doing that and the higher salaries at nearby state prisons aren’t helping his staffing levels.

As chairman of the county Democratic committee, Balicki said he’s offended that department heads and directors would be blamed for the current fiscal crisis here at home because in reality, it’s the worldwide financial crisis that is prompting the tightening of budgetary belts.

Stop the politics after Election Day, Balicki said, noting the topic of discussion at Tuesday’s freeholder meeting and the current Republican majority on the board.

The meat and potatoes facts and figures — like the stuff budgets are made of — was not to be part of the presentation, though that’s exactly what some residents said they wanted.

Downe Township Committeeman Dennis Cook, with wife Christine, both wanted more from the address.

“It’s like a country store for the county. It’s where I see people,” Dennis Cook said of the county library, adding that he hoped for further financial details.